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A dental assistant became upset after discovering a new receptionist at her business earns more than she does. To resolve the issue, Jeff Haden recommends the dentist talk with the assistant and let her express her frustration. Then the dentist should explain why the receptionist is worth the money. If the dentist is willing to pay the assistant more, the plan should be laid out for doing so, but either way, it's important to make sure the issue is resolved, he writes.

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Paul Downs of Paul Downs Cabinetmakers has a hard time finding the right price for his furniture. He is afraid lowering prices wouldn't create more demand and that raising prices would drive off his customers, and the custom nature of the work makes comparisons with competitors difficult. His pricing system takes into account estimates of materials cost and hours of work, but "pricing highly custom work is inherently complex, and I'm not sure I'll ever be confident that my system is perfect," he writes.

If an employee is upset upon learning she makes less than a co-worker, address the issue by acknowledging her feelings and outline the responsibilities, skills and expectations for the different jobs, Jeff Haden writes. He also suggests telling the employee that if she wants to earn more, then she will need to take on additional duties.

Guerrilla marketing, which involves the use of unusual advertising strategies, can provide small-business owners with a low-cost way to spread information about their brands, Marc Davis writes. Among other suggestions, he recommends creating company T-shirts, distributing flyers or painting your company's logo on your car.

You've worked hard to earn the trust and respect of your employees, but one poorly considered phrase can damage that relationship and endanger your position. For example, bosses should never tell an employee something they learned in confidence from another worker, Jeri Denniston said.

You don't need to spend a fortune to improve your customer service, writes Michael Hess of Skooba Design. It's important for businesses to make strong commitments such as to respond promptly to phone calls and e-mails, then keep their promises, he writes. Also, list your businesses' phone number on your website and consider adding a live chat feature, he recommends.